Companies, such as traditional communications network service providers (e.g., cellular service providers, cable service providers, satellite service providers, etc.), application-specific service providers, and other types of companies face great competitive pressure to provide the best service to their customers and to develop and deploy new services to the marketplace faster than their competitors.
For example, fourth generation wireless (4G) network technology (e.g. WIMAX, Long Term Evolution (LTE), etc.) is widely accepted as the next major milestone in wireless technology evolution, and impacts business models in the wireless industry as well as wireless technology. Most cellular service providers have hardly had time to profit from their third-generation (3G) wireless networks, and now they need to strategize about how to realize a return on that investment while simultaneously making a move to 4G wireless broadband services.
To be competitive, companies try to minimize short-term risks while at the same time support longer-term capabilities that enable the rapid creation of innovative and profitable services. However, it is difficult to undergo a comprehensive analysis to enable educated decisions for the rapid creation and deployment of innovative and profitable services. For example, in the case of a company strategizing about how to maximize a return on investment while simultaneously making a move to 4G wireless broadband services, the company would ideally undergo a comprehensive analysis on the impact of deploying 4G services on their current services as well as the impact on short and long term profits. However, due to the cost, difficulty and know-how needed for undergoing such an analysis, many companies may fall short in their analysis, possibly resulting in lost profits. Furthermore, building or expanding a wireless network is highly capital intensive. It requires holistic and programmatic decision making. One incorrect assumption can mean lost revenue opportunity and conversely cost over-runs costing jobs and economic productivity.